Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium review

There was a lot of hype around Windows 7, with most people believe is the version of Windows, they waited.

But is it? The purpose of the operating system on October 22, we have the final version to the test to see if it is worth an upgrade.

We decided to look at Windows 7 Home Premium, as is the version most readers are likely to buy shoppers. Here we focus on the upgrade is worth it from Windows XP and Vista.

Time bandits

Users of Windows XP, you must update the decision relatively easy. Microsoft has announced it is to Windows XP with the latest security updates until 2014 only supported – there is no more bug fixes or improvements to it. As Microsoft continued to move away from its target XP, this could quickly lead to compatibility problems, because the operating system is revised to more and more.

XP user switching directly to Windows 7 is certainly a difference. The user interface intuitive sense – particularly in the application windows are stacked on the taskbar. However, long term, the users of Windows XP, the File menu one can find a little strange because at first, as with Vista, there is no button to go up a level in the structure of the file Instead you must click on the folder in the address bar that a click on some confusion.

Windows Desktop Search is a great improvement over what Windows XP offers. It allows you to quickly find files and documents by clicking on the Start menu – the research is not only file names but also for the case in text documents, their content. You can find the same office, launch applications, rather than trawling for the right link.

In addition, Media Center now the norm rather than before the Special Limited Edition, as it was with Windows XP. It is great for browsing music, videos and photos, and a brilliant TV support. There is now native support for AVCHD video also, so the contents of the current crop of HD camcorders, or if you are a freesat tuner, HD-TV have been able to read. For this reason, you are grateful for the native support for GPU-accelerated video decoding, enabling smooth playback of HD video support with graphics cards. For the players it certainly is an upgrade, are the latest versions of DirectX (10 and 11) are not available for Windows XP.

Vista curry

For Vista users, the decision to upgrade is not so simple. Many features of Windows 7 are already part of Vista, or will be implemented via Windows Update. There are a host of features that are not always, in Vista, but. These include user interface improvements are particularly welcome for those multi-tasking is often seen, but should also serve many casual users. The Quick Launch toolbar is easy with the taskbar that you have been replaced with the "pin" frequently used applications to enable easy access.

Probably the biggest improvements are the libraries, making it easier to organize files. Instead of storing all the documents of a particular type in a folder, libraries allow you to transfer files from multiple drives and add their content to see in one place. Let the Music Library as an example. In Windows 7, you can see the different places in the library of music for all your music by drag is visible in the same place.

The function of the group home is designed so that the network is less headaches, and the idea certainly more effective than the network sharing wizard in Vista. Or you can decide which files, media and printers that you want to share with other PCs in the same house circuit. The only drawback is that the groups receiving restricted to computers running Windows 7th

For XP users, the decision is almost obvious. If your PC Windows 7, need to update you will probably be surprised to see how Windows has evolved since 2001. If you recently bought a Vista PC, and usually only surf the Internet and work on office documents, then you will probably not leave a lot of Windows 7 However, if you a serious PC user who works on multiple programs, or with a large number of files, you will definitely increase your productivity if you use the new interface.